- Report
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The Role of Alternative Social Media in the News and Information Environment
Appendix A: Detailed tables for audit of seven alternative social media sites
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- The Role of Alternative Social Media in the News and Information Environment
- Alternative social media sites have small, largely Republican audiences; prominent accounts tend to emphasize right-leaning identities and religious and patriotic values
- Most alternative social media news consumers feel a sense of community on these sites, which prominently identify themselves as havens of free speech
- 15% of prominent accounts on alternative social media sites were banned elsewhere
- Almost all alternative social media sites studied moderate content to some extent and also give users the option to do so
- 1. Americans are more aware of some alternative social media sites than others, but overall, very few get news there
- People who get news on alternative social media commonly associate the sites with free speech, Big Tech alternatives and lack of censorship
- Demographics of alternative social media news consumers
- Most alternative social media news consumers find a sense of community on these sites, although some experience harassment
- Keeping up with current events is a key reason people use these alternative social media sites
- Alternative social media news consumers largely opposed to tech company regulation of false or offensive content if it limits free speech
- An in-depth look at four alternative social media sites finds users generally give positive assessments of their news experiences
- Many of those who get news on Parler, Rumble, Telegram and Truth Social interact with news posts; about a third or more post about news
- 2. Alternative social media sites frequently identify as free speech advocates
- Almost all alternative social media sites moderate at least some content and give users the chance to block content themselves
- Almost all alternative social media sites emphasize privacy protections, but vary in exactly what they offer
- Most sites linked to high-profile backers; some sites also use other revenue streams
- Alternative social media sites vary in how they organize user content
- All alternative social media sites studied available on web, most available through apps
- 3. Prominent accounts on alternative social media sites mostly are individuals, not organizations
- Roughly one-quarter of prominent accounts express right-leaning political orientation or support for Trump in profiles
- About one-third of prominent accounts on BitChute have been banned or demonetized by other social media sites
- About one-in-five prominent alternative social media accounts solicit funds from their followers
- About one-in-five of these prominent accounts link to their accounts on more established social media
- 4. Content from prominent alternative social media accounts highlights extreme vaccine skepticism, anxiety over LGBTQ issues
- Prominent accounts that posted during the month of June engaged in widespread discussion of topics like guns, abortion and vaccines
- Phrases used to discuss these topics highlight non-mainstream worldviews and sometimes offensive language
- These prominent accounts often linked to other social media platforms, established and alternative alike – but rarely to traditional media outlets
- Social media sites and digital-only publishers are the most common individual domains in links from prominent alternative social media accounts
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix A: Detailed tables for audit of seven alternative social media sites
- Appendix B: Detailed tables for content analysis of sample of prominent accounts
- Appendix C: Detailed tables for content analysis of posts from prominent accounts from June 2022
- Appendix D: Sampled affiliated prominent accounts, by site
- Methodology
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- The Role of Alternative Social Media in the News and Information Environment
- Alternative social media sites have small, largely Republican audiences; prominent accounts tend to emphasize right-leaning identities and religious and patriotic values
- Most alternative social media news consumers feel a sense of community on these sites, which prominently identify themselves as havens of free speech
- 15% of prominent accounts on alternative social media sites were banned elsewhere
- Almost all alternative social media sites studied moderate content to some extent and also give users the option to do so
- 1. Americans are more aware of some alternative social media sites than others, but overall, very few get news there
- People who get news on alternative social media commonly associate the sites with free speech, Big Tech alternatives and lack of censorship
- Demographics of alternative social media news consumers
- Most alternative social media news consumers find a sense of community on these sites, although some experience harassment
- Keeping up with current events is a key reason people use these alternative social media sites
- Alternative social media news consumers largely opposed to tech company regulation of false or offensive content if it limits free speech
- An in-depth look at four alternative social media sites finds users generally give positive assessments of their news experiences
- Many of those who get news on Parler, Rumble, Telegram and Truth Social interact with news posts; about a third or more post about news
- 2. Alternative social media sites frequently identify as free speech advocates
- Almost all alternative social media sites moderate at least some content and give users the chance to block content themselves
- Almost all alternative social media sites emphasize privacy protections, but vary in exactly what they offer
- Most sites linked to high-profile backers; some sites also use other revenue streams
- Alternative social media sites vary in how they organize user content
- All alternative social media sites studied available on web, most available through apps
- 3. Prominent accounts on alternative social media sites mostly are individuals, not organizations
- Roughly one-quarter of prominent accounts express right-leaning political orientation or support for Trump in profiles
- About one-third of prominent accounts on BitChute have been banned or demonetized by other social media sites
- About one-in-five prominent alternative social media accounts solicit funds from their followers
- About one-in-five of these prominent accounts link to their accounts on more established social media
- 4. Content from prominent alternative social media accounts highlights extreme vaccine skepticism, anxiety over LGBTQ issues
- Prominent accounts that posted during the month of June engaged in widespread discussion of topics like guns, abortion and vaccines
- Phrases used to discuss these topics highlight non-mainstream worldviews and sometimes offensive language
- These prominent accounts often linked to other social media platforms, established and alternative alike – but rarely to traditional media outlets
- Social media sites and digital-only publishers are the most common individual domains in links from prominent alternative social media accounts
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix A: Detailed tables for audit of seven alternative social media sites
- Appendix B: Detailed tables for content analysis of sample of prominent accounts
- Appendix C: Detailed tables for content analysis of posts from prominent accounts from June 2022
- Appendix D: Sampled affiliated prominent accounts, by site
- Methodology
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